Day: April 2, 2019

Liam took out his air pods and looked at the older gentleman who was tapping on his shoulder. “Excuse me?”

“You’re in the wrong seat. Move.”

“Oh, um…” Liam looked down the train hoping the conductor was in his car but found only empty seats looking back. “I’m pretty sure this is my seat.”

The older gentleman grumbled under his breath and pulled out his ticket. “You’re in my seat! Look!”

Liam looked and the seat numbers were indeed the same, but the man was in the wrong car. As he tried to explain the man’s error, the man grabbed him by the collar and proceeded to shake him while screaming obscenities. Liam was not prone to violence but it took everything he had to restrain himself.

Liam found his seat in the next car and leaned against the window. The world raced past in a blur. Before he could ask whether it was normal for the train to be going that fast, the train derailed and split apart. The last three cars on the train, including the one he was assigned to, plunged into the ravine.

Andrew and Jessica waited on the corner for the carriage and lamented past evenings. On one hand it was nice to slow take, take life as it came and not be bound to cell phones, wifi, and constant connections.

Andrew took a long deep breath and sighed. His hand fidgeted in his pockets.

She knew how he felt. She missed things too. Messages about vacation plans and who saw what and where had filled her days. Now she had lessons on sewing and how to bake in stone ovens.

She missed her friends. He missed his sports betting and YouTube career.

They had brought it on themselves though–they all did–and they couldn’t deny their roles. With constant advancements, increased global manufacturing, and global demands for instant connection, they had become juicy and ripe for the taking.

When they came, they came in fast, silently, and efficient. The energy vampires had drained the Earth’s inhabitants of every drop of energy produced and stored. They wanted more. When civilizations plunged back into the pre-industrial age, they left.

No one risked developing energy and returning to their old ways. No one wanted to see the vampires return. No one was sure they ever left.